As I earlier promised, CMA page 364 (Guide to Attainment of Cessation) isreproduced below for our further discussion. For a bonus I shall begin withAnalysis of Attainments plus the Attainment of Cessation.--------------------

Analysis of Attainments

#42 Accessibility

Herein, the attainment of fruition is common to all, each being able to attaintheir respective fruition. But the attainment of cessation is accessible only tonon-returners and Arahants.--------------------

#43 The Attainment of Cessation

In this case, one enters successively upon the sublime attainments beginningwith the first jhaana, and then after emerging from them, one contemplates withinsight the conditioned states within each of those attainments.

Having proceeded thus up to the base of nothingness, one then attends to thepreliminary duties such as the resolution, etc., and enters the base ofneither-perception-nor-non-perception. After two occasions of javana inabsorption, the continuum of consciousness is suspended. Then one is said tohave attained cessation.--------------------

Guide to #43

The attainment of cessation is a meditative attainment in which the stream ofconsciousness and mental factors is completely cut off temporarily. It can beobtained only by non-returners and Arahants who have mastery over all thefine-material and immaterial jhaanas. Further, it can be obtained only withinthe sensuous plane or the fine-material plane of existence. It cannot beobtained within the immaterial plane, for there is no attaining of the fourfine-material jhaanas there, which are the prerequisites for enteringcessation.

To enter cessation the meditator must attain each jhaana in proper sequence.After emerging from each one, he contemplates its factors as impermanent,suffering, and non-self. In this manner the procedure is carried as far as thebase of nothingness. After emerging from the base of nothingness, the meditatorthen makes four resolutions:(1) that any requisites not connected to his body should not be destroyed duringthe attainment (the requisites connected to his body, such as robes, areautomatically protected);(2) that he should emerge if his services are needed by the Sangha;(3) that he should emerge if he is summoned by the Buddha (during the Buddha'slifetime); and(4) that he is not bound to die within seven days.

After making these four resolutions, he enters the fourth immaterial jhaana,which occurs for two moments of javana. Immediately after, he attains cessation,wherein the stream of consciousness is temporarily suspended.